OC Freeholder: Sexual harassment allegations have merit

TOMS RIVER – A sexual harassment lawsuit against Ocean County and one of its former contractors does indeed have merit and is not frivolous, Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari acknowledged Wednesday.

However, Vicari emphasized in a long, rambling explanation from the dais Wednesday that although he is named as a defendant in the lawsuit, he did not know anything about the sexual harassment until the allegations surfaced. Moreover, Vicari said he had been let down by a retired department head who reported to the freeholder but failed to inform him of the sexual harassment.

"What took place will never be accepted," said Vicari, who denounced sexual harassment and assured the public that such behavior was never tolerated in county government when discovered.

The contractor, Joseph M. Veni of JMV Consulting & Inspection Services in Brick, was paid up to $150,000 each year as an engineering consultant when he was terminated in May after the Asbury Park Press requested copies of emails from his official county government account. Some of the emails were sexually explicit and violated county government rules administering the use of its electronics.

At a freeholder meeting late Wednesday afternoon, Vicari was asked by Beachwood resident Aliceclair Calligan, 82, during public comment to respond to the sexual harassment allegations made by Rosemary Mennona, the county's general supervisor of building services, and her husband, John. The couple filed a lawsuit alleging gender discrimination and sexual harassment by Veni, Vicari and other Ocean County government officials in April.

Vicari said he was disappointed by William A. Santos, former superintendent of Ocean County's Department of Buildings and Grounds, who retired last year and who Vicari said had failed to alert him of any issues with Veni.

Vicari, 67, a Republican who has served as a freeholder since 1981 and is seeking re-election in November, said he was also the victim of a smear campaign by wealthy Ocean County Democrats who are attempting to unseat him in the fall. Vicari is being challenged for his seat by Timothy E. Ryan, 63, who owns a chain of seven funeral homes throughout Ocean County.

Vicari said the allegations against him had been fabricated by Ryan and then erroneously reported in the media.

Ryan went to the microphone during public comment to push back on the idea of such a political conspiracy. Ryan explained the allegations he and those in the media had quoted, came directly out of the Mennona lawsuit.

Mennona claims in that suit that Vicari was aware of the physical and emotional sexual harassment that she suffered at the hands of Veni, but that Vicari did nothing about it and allowed "his close personal friend defendant Veni to sexually assault and harass" her.

Vicari reiterated Wednesday that Veni was no friend of his, that Vicari had immediately called a special meeting to fire Veni when he became aware of the content of the emails that the Press had requested, and he regretted that he was only able to fire Veni once, as he deserved the additional scorn.

Ryan seemed amused at Vicari's spirited defense of himself.

"And to refer to the Democrats as wealthy in Ocean County, I mean, that's a stretch, that's a real stretch," Ryan said. Democrats have not won a countywide election since 1989.